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Robert Neville
Dr. Robert Neville is the protagonist of the 2007 film I Am Legend. Based on the main character of the same name from Richard Matheson's original book, Neville lives a life of isolation as possibly the last man on Earth after a deadly virus wipes out most of the human population on the planet. He is portrayed by Will Smith. Biography Dr. Robert Neville was a U.S. Army doctor and scientist prior to the outbreak of the Krippin virus. As the virus spread, Neville tried to evacuate his wife and daughter just as New York was placed under military quarantine. Sadly, Neville's family were killed when their helicopter crashed into another, leaving Neville alone with only his puppy Samantha for company. With Manhattan cut off and the population all either dead or infected, Neville worked towards developing a cure for the virus. He fortified his house in Washington Square against the Darkseekers, barricading all of the doors and windows and setting up ultraviolet lamps and explosives around the perimeter of the house. From his basement laboratory, Neville tried developing a cure using his own blood since he was immune to the virus. As Neville toiled to develop a cure, New York became devoid of human life. By day, animals that had escaped captivity prowled the streets while the Darkseekers withdrew into the darkness of abandoned buildings. At night, the Darkseekers hunted for food. For three years, Neville continued working on a cure whilst struggling to stay alive and maintain his own sanity. Without any other human contact, he began talking to his dog Sam as though she were a person and would often mimic pre-apocalyptic life by watching recorded TV shows and news stories. When Neville went out in search of food and supplies, he set up mannequins in some of the shops in his neighbourhood and would converse with them as though they were alive. He also used a radio to broadcast a message every day on all AM frequencies, calling out to other potential survivors and offering food and shelter. Neville experimented on infected rats while researching his cure for KV. Most of his tests failed, but one subject showed progress, displaying a reduction in aggressive behaviour and slight restoration of skin pigmentation. Neville then moved onto human trials for the cure and managed to capture a Darkseeker, taking her back to his lab and injecting her with the cure. The cure did not appear to work as the test subject showed no change after being injected. The day after his experiment, Neville took Sam as they went foraging, but Neville noticed that one of his mannequins had been tampered with. He went to investigate, but it turned out to be a trap: the Darkseekers, while apparently feral, still maintained a significant degree of intelligence and social behaviour. Neville was snared by a rope trap and left hanging for hours unconscious until the sun went down. He awoke as the sun was setting, cutting himself free from the trap with his pocket knife, but by then it was safe for the Darkseekers to leave their shelters. Neville and Sam were pursued by a pack of infected dogs and Sam was bitten by one of them. Neville got Sam home and tried using his cure on her, but it didn't work and she began to turn. Holding Sam in his arms, Neville tearfully snapped the dog's neck. Now he was completely alone. After putting down Sam, Neville was driven to despair. The following night, he got into his car and drove down to the harbour, intent on killing himself and taking as many Darkseekers with him as he could. Neville ran over many of the creatures until his car was overturned by the swarming mutants. Before they could kill him, however, the Darkseekers were driven off as an unknown figure came to Neville's rescue. The next morning, Neville awoke in his house which was now occupied by a young woman called Anna and a boy called Ethan. Anna told Neville that she and Ethan were searching for a supposed survivors' colony up north, but Neville didn't believe that any such place existed. He allowed Anna and Ethan to stay, grateful to have contact with people again after so long, but was not convinced by Anna's belief that God had brought them together as part of some divine plan. Death Towards the end of the film, the Darkseekers attack Neville's house having followed Anna there the night before. Though Neville's house is protected by UV lamps and mines, these defences aren't enough to stop the sheer volume of Darkseekers attacking. Neville, Anna and Ethan retreat to the lab in the basement where they make a remarkable discovery: Neville's Darkseeker test subject is reacting to the cure, albeit delayed. As the Darkseekers enter the basement, their alpha male starts ramming the Plexiglas door between them and Neville. Neville tries to reach out to the mutants and tell them that he can cure them all, but they either do not understand or do not care. Neville takes a sample of blood from his test subject and gives it to Anna. He then tells her and Ethan to hide inside the coal chute until dawn. Afterwards, Neville takes a grenade from his desk drawer, pulling the pin and charging at the Darkseekers' alpha male. When the grenade explodes, Neville and all of the Darkseekers in the basement are killed. Some time after Neville's sacrifice, Anna and Ethan reach a survivors' colony in Vermont. Anna's narration explains that she passed on the Krippin virus cure, saving humanity from extinction. Category:Movie Deaths Category:Sci-Fi Movie Deaths Category:Humans Category:Protagonists Category:I Am Legend Category:Self-Sacrifice Category:Suicide Category:Death by Explosion